Meet the 17-Year-Old New York Activist Who Just Masterminded a Citywide School Walkout

Several hundred high school and college students walked out of class at noon today to gather for a rally in Manhattan's Foley Square — two blocks from City Hall — before marching to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) building nearby. The walkout was organized by Hebh Jamal, a 17-year-old high school student from the Bronx, in partnership with the New York Immigration Coalition, Arab American Association of New York, and MPower Change.

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"The goal is to get students to be able to organize with each other," Hebh told Seventeen.com. "There are students who are activists and great people, but there's no platform for them to gather together and have a powerful voice."

The walkout was initially organized in response to President Donald Trump's January executive order barring people from seven predominantly Muslim countries (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen) from entering the United States for 90 days, in addition to banning all refugees for at least 120 days and Syrian refugees indefinitely. Shortly after the order was enacted, Hebh planned the walkout after school with a group of fellow students and spread the word on Facebook.

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President Trump's order has since been blocked by federal Judge James Robart of Washington, but Hebh says the walkout is bigger than any one issue.

"It's not just about the Muslim ban," she said. "It's about action and equality for all people."

Public Advocate Letitia James addressed the crowd with a speech about the power of youth activism.

"This is a learning space," she reportedly said. "This is a classroom. This is a lesson in civic history. Throughout history it's always been young people who have stood in the face of intolerance and indifference to demand tolerance and demand love."